The invention is a method for controlling execution of an application. The method comprising: installing and activating a software license unit including License terms and a secure repository comprising both an applet and parameters, providing a virtual USB dongle including a command gate, a License validator, a VM controller and a VM engine initially devoid of applet, verifying the License terms and only if the verification of the License terms is successful: loading said applet and parameters to the VM engine and enabling the Command gate, initializing configuration data and secret data in the VM engine by using the parameters stored in the VM engine then exchanging, between the applet and said hardware function driver, USB messages to control execution of said application.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus checks a connection status of devices to an USB host interface, and then turns off once a GPIO controlling a Vbus of interfaces to which USB devices are not connected, and then turns on the GPIO (that is, writing an enable signal “1” after writing a disable signal “0”), and then remove a cutoff state of electrical connection with the USB devices by a overcurrent preventing mechanism.

An electronic device includes a connector (e.g., a USB connector), a first element configured to operate the connector as a host device connector, a second element configured to operate the connector as a peripheral device connector, and a third element configured to generate a first signal upon connection of the connector. The first signal is indicative of whether the device is to operate as a host device or a peripheral device.

A USB-C connector for a fiber optic cable has a two-section dongle form. The small plug section has a USB-C plug head and an optical transceiver and control circuitry, but no other signal processing functions. The second section includes a fiber connector and a signal processing chipset, but no optical transceiver. The two sections are connected together by a short hybrid cable containing both optical fibers and electrical wires. The optical fibers connect the optical transceiver to the fiber connector. A subset of electrical wires connect the control circuitry to the chipset, and another subset of electrical wires connect the chipset to a second subset of pins of the plug head. A first subset of pins of the plug head are connected directly to the control circuitry for optical-electrical signal conversion. Two such USB-C connectors connected to the ends of a long all-fiber cable form a USB-C extender.

There are provided a printing section that performs printing on a medium; a control section that controls drive of the printing section; a power supply connector that supplies electric power to the control section; a first receptacle connector that is electrically coupled to a first external device and configured to cause the first external device to communicate with the control section; and a second receptacle connector that is electrically coupled to a second external device and configured to cause the second external device to communicate with the control section, a plug of a USB-Type-C cable is configured to be physically inserted into the second receptacle connector, the plug is configured not to be physically inserted into the power supply connector, and the power supply connector is arranged between the first receptacle connector and the second receptacle connector.

An all-in-one computer includes a display, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C port, a plurality of USB Type-A ports, a USB hub, a demultiplexer, and a Power Delivery (PD) controller. The USB hub is coupled to the plurality of USB Type-A ports. The demultiplexer is coupled between the display, the USB Type-C port, and the USB hub. The PD controller is to control the demultiplexer and the USB hub to pass a display signal input to the USB Type-C port to the display and pass signals input to the USB hub from the plurality of USB Type-A ports to the USB Type-C port with a computing device coupled to the USB Type-C port.

Certain aspects of the disclosure relates to a method for operating an electronic device. A control device detects a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface being connected to the electronic device, where the USB interface has a plurality of virtual ports. Then the control device receives one or more descriptors through the USB interface, each descriptor corresponding to a function of the electronic device. Then the control device matches each descriptor corresponding to each function with one driver file corresponding to each function, and after the matching is successful, determines a virtual function device corresponding to execution of each function. In response to receiving an operating command for executing one function, the control device sends the operating command to the corresponding virtual function device to the function to be executed through a corresponding driver interface, such that the corresponding virtual function device is operated on the electronic device.

A method to enable a vehicle's embedded USB Host system to connect to multiple mobile devices through a USB Hub, regardless of whether the mobile devices are configured to act as USB Hosts or USB Devices, without USB On the Go (OTG) controllers or additional vehicle wiring or inhibiting the functionality of any consumer devices connected to the same USB Hub. Preferably, the method is configured to provide that no additional cabling or hardware changes to accommodate this capability. The method can be employed between a vehicle's embedded USB Host, USB Hub and at least one consumer accessible USB port. When the consumer device is acting as a USB Host, signals between the consumer device and the vehicle's embedded USB Host are processed through a USB bridge, thereby rendering the consumer device compatible with the vehicle's embedded USB Host.

A universal serial bus (USB) hub supporting multiple hosts and an automobile head unit using the same are provided. A USB hub circuit is set in the USB hub, which is coupled to external connectors through a bus matrix. Herein, an upstream port connector of the USB hub is coupled to the automobile head unit. When one device is coupled to a downstream port requests to serve as a host, the bus matrix couples the downstream port, coupled to the requesting device, to an upstream port of the USB hub circuit, and couples the downstream port to the automobile head unit to make the automobile head unit serve as the device.

A USB smart hub may provide enhanced battery charging, data storage security, vendor matching, device authentication, data capture/debug, and role switching. The smart hub may include an upstream port, a plurality of downstream ports, a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor for storing USB host stack code and configuration parameters. The smart hub may include a USB hub core having a core to implement a standard USB hub interface. The smart hub may include a plurality of 2:1 multiplexors coupled between the downstream ports, the core downstream ports, and the processor. The processor may control the 2:1 multiplexors. The processor may be configured to detect when a USB device is coupled to a downstream port and to run the USB host stack code and to enumerate the USB device. The processor may provide enhanced features based on the configuration parameters.